Eyeglass-chain reel.



0. B.l WEDELL.

E YEGLAss cHAlN REEL. APPucATxoN FILED :uw 20,4915.

[Il @U Patented Dac. 2, 1916.,

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OTTO B. WEDELL, or CLINTON, IOWA.

EYEGLASS-CHAIN REEL.

Application led July 28, 1915.

To all whom t may Conce-rn Be it known that I, OTTO B. VEDELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Clinton yand State of lowa, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Eyeglass Chain Reels, of which the following is a specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

rllhis invention relates to the type of inclosed drum or reel designed to accommodate and care for eye glass safety chains and the like.

The present device embodies improvements over my prior Patent No. 1,141,855, dated June 1, 1915, arranged particularly with a View to securing ease in assembling the parts and-convenience ofaccess in case of repair. The features contributing to this result are hereinafter described and illustrated in the drawings being specifically set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an axial sec'- tion including all the principal elements of the device. Fig. 2 is a transaxial section taken as indicated at line 2 2 on Fig. 1, and illustrating especially the clutch mechanism. Fig. 3 is a transaxial. section taken as indicated at line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and showing the arrangement of the retracting spring. Fig. 4 is a detail section on an enlarged scale taken as indicated at line 4-4 on Fig. 2.

rlfhe reel which is the subject of this invention is provided as usual with an inclosing casing, consisting of a back plate, 1, and a cover, 2, adapted to be engaged with or disengaged from the back plate, 1, by

snapping its inturned rim, 2a, on or off the slightly grooved flange, 1, of the back plate. To the center of the back plate there is rigidly secured by solder or other means a peripherally notched, but otherwise circular, member, 3, having a central threaded aperture, 3a. A screw, 4, set tightly in the threaded aperture, 3a, provides a mounting for the rotary drum or reel, 5, on which the chain, 6, is to be wound. The drum is shown as built up of two ilanged circular members, 5a and 5b, the former of which includes a central apertured web, 5c, fitted rotatably u on the smooth shoulder, 4 of the bearing stu 4. The head, 4a, of the stud or screw, 4, being larger than the shoulder, 4c,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. l2, 191W).

serial No. 42,244.

serves independently of any other means to retain the drum upon the stud against removal away from the back plate 1.

ln the space between the web, 5"', of the drum and the back plate, 1, there is carried in the drum and rigid with it a notched annular member, 7, whose notches, 7 u, are adapted to accommodate the clutch balls, 8, as shown in Fig. 2. The annular member, 7, closely encircles the notched member, 3, and as one of the notches, 7a, rotates into its upper position its clutch ball, 8, tends to drop into engagement with one of the notches, 3b, of the member, 3, thus arresting further rotation of the drum, 5, in one direction but not in the other.

It may be noted that the present construction provides two notches, 7a, in combination with three notches, 3d, in the member, 3, thus rendering` the device certainly operative for any position in which the casing may be worn, and also avoiding simultaneous registration of the circular portions, 3c, with the notches, 7 a, so that these circular portions of the inner member, 3, may to some extent supplement the shoulder, 4c, of the bearing stud in centering and journaling the rotary drum.

It has been found from experience that repairs are very seldom required on the clutch mechanism, but that after long use the retracting spring may become crystallized and may break, necessitating the substitution of a new spring. In the present construction the spring, 9, is therefore mounted in the recess formed in the front side of the drum, 5, so as to be easily accessible when the cover, 2, is removed without dismounting the drum from its bearings or releasing` it from its mounting on the stud, 4. As shown in Fig. 3, the inner end of the spring, 9, is engaged in the slotted head, 4a, of the bearing stud, 4, being bent at 9a. The outer end of the spring, 9, is fixed to the drum, 5, by means of a hook-shaped lug, 5d, turned in from the area of the flange, 5e, of the drum section, 5a. Preferably, the thread of the screw, 4, is such that the tension on the spring, 9, tends to tighten the screw in its threaded mounting in the member, 3.

If the spring, 9, should break it would be desirable to prevent it from getting out of place, or to prevent a fragment of the spring from slipping down around the flange Yof the drum and perhaps clogging and breaking the chain, 6, which is wound on the drum. A frictionally retained cover plate, 10, is therefore iitted into a recess, 5f, in the forward face of the drum, 5. This does not in any way interfere with the accessibility of the spring for repair or other trouble, it is only necessary to snap off the cover member, 2, of the casing and pry out the cover plate, 10, to gain immediate access to the spring, 9. It will be noted that this does not release the drum from its mounting on the stud and does not involve dismounting the drum, 5, from its bearings. The latter operation, however, would not be diflicult but would only require unscrewing the bearing stud, e, and lifting the drum, 5, away from Vthe notched member, 3, which is fixed to the back plate, l, of the casing. The inner end of the chain, 6, is attached Y to the drum by a terminal member, Ga, ex-

tending radially into an aperture, 5g, 4in the drum section, 5b, the member, 6a, being locked in` position by a pin, Gb, driven through it inside the drinn flange. The pin, 6b, is prevented from slipping out of place by the walls of a notch, 7b, in the member, 7, in which the chain terminal is accommodated, the member, 7, being forced into position after the locking pin, 6b, has been driven through the terminal, 6a.

It may be noted that the mounting of the web, 5C, of the drum, 5, between the head, il, of the bearing stud, 4, and the member, 3, in which the bearing stud is mounted, serves to position the drum axially within the casing so as to avoid any unnecessary friction between the drum flanges and the walls of the casing, and thus permit of very easy running. It will be understood that as the drum is rapidly rotated in one direction or the other the check balls, 8, are held outwardly in the notches, 7, by centrifugal force, but as the rotation is retarded one of them is brought by gravity into engagement with one of the notches, 3", for locking the drum at desired position. This, however, is the usual mode of operation and need not be further described. For securing the device to any convenient part of the clothing the back plate, l, is provided with the usual attaching pin, 11.

I claim 1. In an eye-glass chain reel having a casing composed of a back plate and a cover member, means by which said parts are separably connected, a drum having a transaxial web centrally apertured, a bearing stud supported on one of said parts and rotatably supporting said drum by engagement with its central aperture, said stud having a slotted head abutting the side of the web to 'ard the other part of the casing for retaining the drum against removal, and a spiral spring having its inner end engaged in the slot of said head and its outer end fixed to the drum, whereby said spring is accessible upon separation of the casing members without disturbing the drinn mounting and removable without releasing the drum from its mounting on the stud.

2. In an eye glass chain reel, a casing, a

i circular member secured thereto and pcripln erally notched; a drum having an annular portion journaled for rotation on. said eircular member, said annular portion having a recess and a check ball lodged therein for engagement with the notches of the circular member, said drum having a centrally apertured web extending proximate the side of the circular member opposite the casing wall, and a headed stud extending from said member through the aperture of said web for retaining the drum in position.

3. In an eye glass chain reel, a casing, a circular member secured thereto and peripherally notched, a drum comprising an annular portion journaled for rotation on said circulai member, said drum-having a series of recesses differing in number from the notches of the circular member, the circumferential extent of each recess being less than the circumferential distance between adjacent notches, check balls lodged in such recesses ada )ted for engagement with the notches, and means retaining the drum against axial displacement.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Clinton, Iowa, this 12th day oi" July, 1915.

OTT() B. X"VEDELL.

Witnesses:

IV. T. OAKEs, J. L. OAKns.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

